A Suitor
by Kate Liz
Summary: Sirius Black's former fiance has violated their contract, leaving Sirius without two and a half years of memories. A new suitor must take his place. SBRL and SBSS. Mentions of rape and abuse. Very AU. Pureblood customs fic. Rated T to be safe!
1. Chapter 1

A Suitor

Chapter One

Disclaimer: I own nothing! If I did, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction!

Muffled words reached his ears first. The people speaking sounded very far away, as though he were behind a thick curtain or underwater. He could not make out what was being said, but it all sounded very serious. He gave a go at opening his eyes, but they were too heavy to lift. Was he drugged? Why wasn't he in control? He tried to say something, scream, anything, but found he could not. 'Breathe,' he told himself, 'you're probably just dreaming.' He felt himself relax slightly and the words became clearer.

"How long are we supposed to go on like this? He's been out for days!"

"He's growing stronger every day, Mr. Black. He'll soon be lucid."

Mr. Black? That was a funny name, the boy thought, as he drifted off to sleep again.

Fuzziness. That was all he felt as consciousness slipped back into him. His eyes felt a little lighter and he decided to give it a go. Mustering up all the strength he could, he lifted his eyelids and was met with blinding, white light. He tried to voice his discomfort, but all he could manage was a groan as he clenched his eyes shut.

Was he dead? How else could he explain that blinding light if it did not come from Merlin himself. 'Okay,' he thought, 'let's give it another go.'

He slowly opened his eyes again, and although it gave him quite the headache, he allowed them to focus. He was in a very sterile looking room; the walls and ceiling were white and there was medical equipment surrounding him. He was in St. Mungo's. He surveyed the room as much as he could without lifting his head. Slumped in a chair was someone he immediately recognized. "Dad?" he said, but it was so hoarse it barely sounded like anything. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Father?" Much better. The man in question shifted a bit at the sound of his voice and came to. When he looked at him his eyes became very wide.

"Seer? You're awake!" he exclaimed as he rushed over to the boy's bedside.

"What's going on? My head and throat hurt."

"You've been out for five days. I was worried you weren't going to wake. Reg has been crying for days."

"Did he lay me up?" Regulus would be the culprit; after all, the two boys rarely sat still for a moment.

"Not this time. Let me fetch the Healer and get you some water. Don't fall back asleep." And just like that his father was out the door.

Sirius took the opportunity alone to deduce what had happened. His leg was in a brace, which was odd because bones are usually easy to heal through magic. His entire body felt sore. He attempted to move his arm and was met with a sharp pain. He whimpered slightly. His backside also felt very sore. What had happened to him?

A Healer came in, his father in tow with a glass of water with a straw. He held it to Sirius as he sipped. "Hello, Sirius," the Healer said, "I'm Healer Markus." Sirius eyed the man. He looked quite young; a couple years out of Hogwarts. He had dark brown hair and striking blue eyes. He was quite attractive.

"Hello," he replied nervously, "what happened?"

"You were very badly injured. Everyone has been quite worried."

"Why? I get into fights at school all the time."

Markus looked sad. "Sirius, you've been in a coma for five days. This wasn't from a school fight."

Sirius narrowed his eyes. If it wasn't from a school fight or Regulus, what could it be?

Noticing his confusion, Markus pulled up a chair next to Sirius. "I am going to ask you a few questions, is that alright? They're pretty standard with head injuries."

Sirius felt his head and winced when he felt a large bump on the back of his head. "Okay, go on."

"What is your full name?"

"Seriously?"

"It's just procedure."

Sirius sighed. "Sirius Orion Black."

"What is your birthdate?"

"April 5th, 1960."

"Who are your parents?"

"Orion and Walburga. I have a brother, Reggie."

"What month is it?"

That one stumped Sirius. "Er, I'm actually not sure."

Markus looked up at him, eyes tight with possible worry. "Think. It might just be fuzzy because of being asleep so long."

Sirius racked his brain but could find nothing. He shrugged sheepishly.

"It's April."

"Right," he replied, even though he would have never reached the conclusion himself. He looked at his father, who had grown pale.

"Do you know what year it is?"

"1972".

Markus and Orion exchanged looks.

"What? It is, isn't it?"

Markus's voice became gentle. "What is the last thing you remember?"

Sirius paused as he thought. "I had just left Potions and I was getting ready to go home for a gathering. I think it was Reg's 11th birthday." He looked at the two men. "Why do you look so stunned?"

Orion cleared his throat. "It's not 1972. It's 1976."

Sirius snorted. "Very funny, Dad. Tease the injured person."

"Your father's right. You just turned 15. It seems you have amnesia."

"What?" How could he have lost three years? So much could have happened between his third and fifth year; would he have to go back to third year classes?

Healer Markus ran his wand over Sirius' body and he felt the scan tingle through his skin. "Well, the good news is that you seem to remember most things, but you lost about three years. I'm going to set you up with a Mind Healer that will be available to you twice a day, and it will continue once you're released."

Orion interrupted before Markus could go forward. "We already have a Mind Healer the boys go to. Could he help Sirius instead?"

Sirius inwardly groaned. He hated going to therapy sessions and now they were going to occur possibly twice a day? "I don't need the Mind Healer. I'll piece life back together on my own," he said.

"Sirius, you've been through a traumatic event that resulted in a concussion, many broken bones, and memory loss. You must see a Mind Healer to work through it, otherwise you may never get past it."

"I can't see what's so traumatic about it if I can't remember it. I'm fine," Sirius drawled, feeling his Black heritage kick in.

"Sirius," Markus began, but Orion cut him off.

"He's just being his mother. He'll do the therapy; he's 16, he doesn't have a choice," he said, ignoring the huff he received from Sirius from his comments. "Maybe we'll find out if he's reverted to his thirteen-year-old attitude as it seems he has."

"We can sit here all day Sirius, but we need to evaluate the situation."

Sirius had been pointedly looking out the window for the twenty minutes his Mind Healer had been in the room. He was tired and couldn't understand why they would make him jump into therapy the moment he woke up. "I don't know what to say, Healer Turner," he replied quietly.

Turner laughed. "What's with the formalities? I've known you since you were eight."

"Well I've lost some time, I didn't know we were at that level." Sirius wasn't giving up his game easily. He just continued to stare out the window and fiddle with his blanket.

Turner sighed and scribbled something down. "Well you can call me Brendon."

"Fine."

"You know, I usually get the aristocratic brattiness from Regulus when he's had a bad day, but never from you. You're usually open."

The Black heir looked down. "I'm just really tired. I don't want to talk about this. I don't even know what happened. Nobody will tell me."

"It's because you need your evaluation first to see if you can handle it right now."

Sirius scrunched the blanket in his fist. "I have a right to know. It's why I'm here, isn't it?"

Turner's eyes softened at Sirius' obvious frustration. "The faster we get this done, the faster we can find out the proper way to heal you." Sirius nodded curtly. "Healer Markus told me the last thing you remember is leaving Potions to go home. Do you know what time of year that was?"

"If it was for Reg's birthday it had to be early October."

Turner nodded and marked it down in his notebook. "So beginning of your Third Year. And it's now the end of your Fifth Year."

Sirius suddenly felt panicked. "Am I missing the O.W.L.s? I can't miss those, I'll be behind."

"Do you remember studying for them?"

Sirius thought about it. "No, but I know I can produce a Patronus, and I'm not sure a Third Year can do that."

Turner hummed and wrote more. "What's your Patronus?"

"A wolf," Sirius replied, surprised he knew the answer.

"Well, you seem to have knowledge from your education, which is good. It looks as though you are only missing your memories."

"Great! So I can take the O.W.L.s?"

"I believe you already took those at the beginning of the month." Sirius sighed in relief. At least that was one thing this unfortunate event wouldn't compromise. "Can we move on?" At Sirius's nod, Turner continued. "Let's get back to your most recent memory. What were you feeling when you were getting ready to leave?"

"Anxious," Sirius replied.

"Why? It was your brother's birthday; weren't you excited to see him?"

"Of course, I love Reg. I wasn't excited for the company I had to keep aside from James and Remus."

"Which was?"

Sirius swallowed. "My fiancé." He didn't want to say his name. It made him feel very nervous.

Turner hummed once more. "Do you remember returning home and seeing Lucius?" he asked.

Sirius' breath hitched at the name and fear shook through his frame. Why was he reacting like this? "No. I just remember getting ready to leave with my friends. Why?"

"Very curious. Do you recall Lucius ever harming you?"

Sirius scrunched his nose. "Not really. He's usually quite distant. Wait- he didn't..." Sirius couldn't continue. From the look in Turner's eyes he knew the answer.

"I suspect Regulus' birthday was the first violent encounter."

"I need to talk to my parents."

"Sirius we're not done."

"Now, Brendon. I need to speak with them now."

From the panicked look in his eyes Turner knew Sirius was sincere. "I'll go fetch them," he said and left Sirius to his own devices.

"Tell me exactly what happened." Sirius' grey eyes were shining with fear and anger as he stared down his mother and father.

"Brendon was worried you might not be ready for this yet-" his mother began, but Sirius cut her off.

"Well the krupp's out of the dirt now because of him. What happened?"

Orion and Walburga exchanged looks. "It was your 16th birthday, which, as you know, would usually be accompanied by the bonding ceremony," Orion said. "We decided to have the celebration first and carry on with the ritual at dusk.

"Your mother and I were entertaining the Potters while you were dancing with Master Lupin. I kept glancing over to make sure everything was in order but you looked quite happy."

Sirius winced as a flash of memory came over him. An older looking Remus was staring and smiling at him as though he told a very inappropriate joke. He had aged quite well, to which Sirius mentally attributed to the wolf inside of him needing to be attractive for its prey.

"When I glanced over again you were with Lucius. I didn't find anything suspicious with you dancing with your intended so I carried on with the Potters, but when I looked back over you were gone.

"Normally I would assume you two were up to no good, but since the bonding was to take place I knew that would not be possible. I excused myself and went looking for you.

"I heard the screams first." Sirius winced. Another flash, but this one much less pleasant. An angry Lucius; his own, pleading voice. A blow to the head and blackness.

"Stop, stop! I don't want to remember!" Sirius cried out. Walburga rushed to comfort her son, wrapping her arms around him.

"It's okay," she soothed, "you won't be seeing him any longer."

Sirius looked up at her. "Really?"

"Abuse and rape automatically make marriage contracts null and void, especially since we pull rank higher than the Malfoys," Orion supplied. "You will not have to marry Lucius."

"Oh thank Merlin," Sirius said as tears of relief sprang from his eyes. "I don't think I could have lived with someone like that."

"No, we'll have to find you a new suitor. But let's not worry about that now. Let's focus on healing."

'A new suitor,' Sirius thought, 'maybe Lucius giving me amnesia did me a favor.'


	2. Chapter 2

Suitor

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

AN: Thanks for all who read so far! I hope you are enjoying it. I recently read a story of oneshots on ancient customs and courting and I borrowed a few because I'm fascinated by it. Thank you to the wonderful author who has fed my creativity! Also forgive the bad spacing as I am working on an iPad and it would not allow me to upload a doc from my smart office app!

Sirius was stuck in St. Mungo's for a month getting psychiatric evaluations and going through Muggle physical therapy. Because his head injury was so bad the Healers were worried that magic would deplete his status further. Sirius would go absolutely mad if it weren't for his friends visiting him every weekend. The first weekend seeing them was very interesting.

It had only been a week since waking when the door to his private quarters opened, letting in two older boys. He recognized Remus from his memory but he didn't expect him to be so tall and muscular. The only imperfection he had was a faint scar on his neck. He supposed being a werewolf could have its perks.

The other boy who Sirius assumed was James was about a head shorter than Remus. His hair had gone from a completely unmanageable mess to a nice, layered shaggy look that almost reached his shoulders. "Trying to compete with me Jaime?" Sirius laughed.

"Nah, Padfoot. Your locks are way longer than mine. Mother Magic must be on your side," James replied as he gave his best friend a soft hug. "How are you holding up?"

"Fine I guess. Why did you call me Padfoot?" Sirius replied. He watched Remus and James exchange looks.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, did they not tell you? I can't remember anything past Reg's 11th birthday," Sirius said with a laugh, trying to quell the panic that he smelled(?) in the room. "I'm fine, really. I'm more aggravated that it means they can't heal my bones magically. Physical therapy is quite irksome."

James' face turned livid. "I will murder Malfoy if it's the last thing I do," he growled, his features turning dark as he began to pace the floor. "I knew I should have grabbed you off of the dance floor. He looked absolutely menacing the way he was handling you." He continued to rant to himself as Sirius turned to observe Remus who has said nothing since arriving.

The wolf had his amber eyes focused on his hands which were folded neatly in his lap. His one leg, covered in simple, gray slacks, was shaking absentmindedly. "Prongs," he said softly, "you're counting."

James looked down to his tapping foot. "So I am." He looked over at Remus and sat down next to him. "Alright, Moony?"

Sirius snorted. "That's a fitting nickname. Any of you want to fill me in?"

"Remember when we were talking about become Animangi to help Remus with his furry little problem?" James asked with a cheeky grin.

"Of course," Sirius replied, "that was like last week to me."

James' grin spread wider. "Well we did it."

Sirius began to smile as well. "No way." James nodded. "So what are we then?"

"You're a great black dog, hence Padfoot and I'm a stag, hence Prongs."

"That is wicked. Think I can still manage to transform?"

James shrugged. "I imagine it's like flying a broom- you never forget. Though, let's not try it in your state just yet."

Sirius nodded, still grinning. "That is about the best news I heard since the accident. What'd you say when you found out, Rem?"

Remus looked up suddenly from being acknowledged. "What was that?"

Sirius observed him for a moment, wondering what was on the other's mind. "When James and I transformed. How did you react?"

Remus' eyes crinkled at the memory. "I was quite cross with the two of you. Didn't speak to you for weeks. But then I realized how much better transformations were from me and now I can't imagine a full moon without it. Excuse me, I need some water. Need anything?" Remus said as he stood up.

Sirius shook his head. "Right; I'll just be a minute." He rushed out of the room.

Sirius narrowed his eyes at the door. "What's got his wand in a knot?" he mused.

"Sorry, I'm not sure he was ready to see you yet," James replied uneasily, running his fingers through his hair.

"Why? It's not like I'm contagious. You can't catch amnesia."

"Nah, we didn't even know that part until you said anything." James swallowed.

"He's sort of been blaming himself for the whole ordeal. He's been in a right state since it happened."

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh. "You're joking, mate." At James' grave look he sobered. "Why would he even entertain the thought? It's not like he told Lucius to beat on me, at least I don't think he would do such a thing."

"It's complicated. It's not my place to discuss."

Sirius was about to speak further but Remus reentered the room, water in hand. His face was blotchy and red. Sirius could swear he wiped a tear away whilst crossing the room. "Tell me it isn't true," Sirius said.

"Tell you what isn't true, Seer?" Remus replied, not looking at him.

"You can't possibly be blaming yourself for what that arsehole did to me."

Remus met his eyes. "Merlin, you do. Remus, mate, how could you possibly be responsible? You didn't harm me, he did. You're one of my best friends- you wouldn't ever cause me harm."

"But I did," Remus replied, "you can't possibly understand right now, but I did. James, I got to go. I'm so sorry Seer."

"Rem!" But it was no use. He was already out the door. James stood to leave as well. "Don't even move Jaime." He froze. "Explain. Now."

"That is between you and Moony, I'm afraid. I gotta be off too, Pads. I'll come visit you next weekend." He patted Sirius' good leg affectionately.

"This is so bloody frustrating not remembering anything!" Sirius exclaimed, exasperated beyond belief. "If you can't say anything, can you please, please, get him to come back and tell me himself? This is going to drive me mad all week!"

James smiled in sympathy. "I will try my best, Siri. I do have something that will keep you occupied, though." He dropped a bag next to Sirius. "Homework! Sirius' groan was answered with a laugh and a quick peck on the cheek. "See you next week!"

Sirius did see them next week, but with no answers. All he got was an apologetic Remus and a homicidal James trying to plot Lucius' demise. He was brought photo albums, people told him stories, but nothing was jogging his memory. The Healers said that he would eventually regain them as his mental faculties weren't all lost, but he began to lose hope.

On his last day of captivity, Remus visited him alone. Sirius was sitting up, looking better than he usually did, completing an essay. He was mumbling to himself about transfiguring a rock into a dog, Remus cleared his throat.

Sirius looked up and smiled. "Alright, Rem?"

"Hey, Seer."

"Come to apologize for the umpteenth time?"

"Sort of. Actually, I wanted to show you why I'm guilty."

Sirius' eyes sharpened. This would be interesting. He had just assumed nobody would tell him because there was no real reason for the guilt. "Well go on then. Why should you burden yourself with unecessary guilt?" Remus didn't respond right away. The Black heir crossed his arms. "Was that not enough of an invitation for you, Master Lupin?"

Remus looked like he was about to lose his nerve but fought it off. Why was he so nervous? It's not like it was much of a secret. "Well, er. Here." He reached into his bag and pulled out a small, wooden box with the Black crest on it. It looked very familiar to Sirius, but it couldn't be what he thought it was. "You gave this to me at the start of our fourth year, and I gave you mine."

"What is it?"

Remus shifted nervously again and sat on the edge of the bed. His hands were shaking as he went to lift the lid. "Merde, Sirius, I don't know if I'm ready for this."

"Oh no. I've waited a month. A month of trying to jog my memory and it's obviously gone. You're going to tell me what's going on right now." Sirius' tone was authoritative and it made Remus shiver with more nerves. "Come on. Don't be such a pussywillow. What am I gonna do?"

Remus took a deep, shaky breath. "Alright. Fine. You're in for a shock, though." He opened the box and pulled an object out. In his hands was a silver hair brush monogrammed with Sirius' initials. Sirius could feel the magic infused within the brush call out to his core.

Sirius let out a low whistle. "I guess we're pretty serious, then."

"You think? Lucius must've found out, I'm so sorry."

"We all have our mistresses." Remus smacked his arm.

"Ones who are responsible for expanding their lover's magic?"

"I guess not. So we're?" Sirius smiled at Remus' nod. "I wish I could remember. It must be wonderful being with you."

Remus sighed. "Maybe it's best you don't remember falling for me. Maybe we should just call it off. You're going to be in another arrangement soon enough. Don't you see, Seer? It's all of my fault for getting involved with you." He looked down, feeling utterly deflated.

Sirius rested his hand on Remus' cheek and gently turned his head towards him. "You can't blame yourself for this, Rem. The Healers believe he began to abuse me on Reg's 11th birthday. You said you didn't have my brush then."

"You speak about it so nonchalantly."

Sirius laughed darkly. "I guess that's a perk of not remembering anything. I think my magic is blocking it off; trying to protect me."

"Maybe Mother Magic is trying to make you forget our relationship. Maybe she's cross."

"I think she'd be much more cross if I let you groom my magic for almost two years and then grant that privelege to another man who isn't my father."

Remus was about to respond when Healer Markus walked in. "Hello, Sirius. Ready to go?" he said.

"Sure," Sirius replied. He looked at Remus. "Come home with me?" he asked.

Remus nodded, placing the brush back in the wooden box. "Is that what I think it is?" Markus asked.

"It's nothing," Sirius said quickly, gathering his things. "Let's go, Rem."


End file.
